Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility closed its Girdwood Project Office with the expiration of its lease on Thursday, June 28.
During the last several years, AWWU completed many high priority Girdwood water projects including the building of a new well house, line extensions to the Girdwood Elementary School, Fire Station and Town Square, including Lindblad, Hightower, Girdwood Place and Holmgren Streets.
The Utility completed a study to determine future upgrades for the Girdwood Wastewater Treatment Facility and pilot tests for two new treatment technologies. Also, a manhole maintenance project evaluated and repaired sewer manholes throughout Girdwood to reduce groundwater and surface water infiltration and inflow into the sewer collection and treatment system.
Residents in Girdwood are encouraged to call the main AWWU Customer Service number 564-2700 with any water and sewer operating questions or concerns.
With the closure of the Girdwood Project Office, information about ongoing and future capital project construction in Girdwood should be directed to Lynda Barber-Wiltse, AWWU Project Management Supervisor, in AWWU’s Anchorage Headquarters Building at 3000 Arctic Blvd., 564-2751.
The long awaited state project to pave Crow Creek Road has run into a short delay. The first phase of the project, construction of a new bridge over California Creek, has been delayed a month.
“We just finished sorting out the last right of way issue,” said Project Manager, Jim Amundsen. Next, the DOT must advertise for bids by the end of July, he said, and the lowest bidder will be awarded the contract.
Amundsen expects a temporary bridge to be built by the end of this summer. He said it’s likely that construction will resume next spring for the completion of the new bridge, followed by the paving of the road. Just under a mile of pavement will be laid down starting at Alyeska Highway and ending at the school bus turnaround shortly past California Creek. The road should be paved by the start of school next August, Amundsen said. The estimated cost of the project is $4 million.
The Alaska State Council on the Arts recently awarded $545,674 in grants at their annual meeting, held June 15 and 16 in Sitka. A small project grant was given to the Girdwood Art Institute for $1,800.
Upon hearing the news, Tommy O’Malley, the president of the Art Institute said, “We appreciate their generous support. They’ve supported us for the last 19 years, as well as the National Endowment of the Arts, which provides a matching grant.”
The Girdwood Art Institute is a non-profit that runs the Girdwood Fine Arts Camp every year during the first two weeks of August. It’s in its 21st year of providing fine art instruction for Girdwood Youth. For more information call the Director Thalia Wilkinson at 783-1965 or Mr. O’Malley at 783-3287.
A car accident in the Whittier Tunnel on Tuesday, June 26 at 1:34 p.m. caused a delay of a little over an hour. Apparently the driver of a rented car jumped the curb and collided with the tunnel wall, taking out the right front tires of the car and damaging the rear right quarter panel, disabling the vehicle. There were no injuries reported. Alyeska Towing responded, towing the vehicle out of the tunnel. It was only the third car accident since the tunnel opened in 2000.